Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Day-Hiking The JMT - Taboose -> S. Lake - 06.22.12

You gotta know that I was having a bad day when you look at the photo album and see that I only took 70 photos...

~21 1/2 hours for 44.90 miles from the Taboose Pass Trailhead to South Lake... about 3 1/2 hours longer than my worst expectations...

I wasn't bored, but I definitely wasn't impressed by about a few miles beyond Mather Pass... that section of the Sierra just doesn't have the type of terrain that I like.

I definitely want to get beyond the LeConte Ranger Station... that canyon looks impressive!

You're in for a real treat (sarcasm) if you ever come out from the PCT/JMT at Bishop Pass... (Whiners (me last Friday) will suffer horribly.)

I'm now at ~160 cumulative miles for ~72.5 miles of JMT.

Here are a few photos:


Look who I ran into way out in the BC...






Wildflowers were abundant.
Skeeters weren't (yahoo!)



There was a bit of frost on the ground.



Looking south from Upper Basin.












Palisade Lakes.



Again, not a skeeter in sight!


The rest of the album: http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/John-Muir-Trail-Section-4/23792101_C99ScB#!i=1927646771&k=BFv4q84

I dunno Richard. I unfortunately haven't been to that area of the Sierra, but from your pics and the vantage-point of the windowless cave I call an office, it all looks pretty damn good to me. You're one lucky dude to be able to experience all of that. Thanks for letting us live vicariously through you.

Richard:
Thats beautiful photography. Looks like lots of water crossings! Did you have to wade thru any or just boulder hopping/ log crossing? No snow on Mather Pass! I will be south bound on the same territory around last week of July. Thanks for the photo journey. Can you please add some words to them when you have time.
Krishna

Thanks.

Yes, I definitely need to get back to some of these albums and add captions.

Dang Richard, those photos are beautiful! So where is this whiners area you mention? What does that look like? Endless moraine or ?

Take a look at the SpotWalla: http://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=4d144fe7e1fe859a6

When you drop down from the Palisade Lakes, it eventually turns into Sierra "jungle." (Hot! at ~8K) If you are going out via Bishop Pass, you have a LONG, HOT (in the afternoon) climb up to the Dusy Basin and then UP to the pass.

I didn't take any photos because I (in my foul mood because of being hot and sore) thought it was not very pretty.

Dusy Basin is gorgeous when you get up there, but by that time it was just one foot in front of the other to get the hike done.

BTW, water crossing have not been an issue since I got blocked at Tyndall Creek more than a month ago. I've yet to get my feet wet... except to cool them off.

Captioned this album tonight.

Let me know if you see any errors. I'm guessing at where I was / what I was looking at for a lot of these photos.

I have found that there seems to be an inverse relationship between how hot I am on the trail and how pretty my surroundings seem to be. The first time I came through the canyon of the south fork of the San Joaquin on the JMT, it was a very hot afternoon and I did not care for the place at all. The second time I went through, it was a cool morning and I thought the canyon was spectacular!

Richard:
Thanks for the captions! Now I can relate to the map! Are you using a stand? These photos are crystal clear!

I don't usually carry a tripod.

For the early morning / late day photos I sometimes brace the camera on top of a trekking pole, or set the self-timer.